Monday’s rugby news has a battle of codes, an emotional Sevens victory, more Heineken Cup shambles and Warburton’s final offer.
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Code clash set for 2014
The Wallabies will play the Great Britain rugby league team in a $10million hybrid-game at Wembley stadium next year. Organisers are expecting to raise $20 million through gates, corporate sales, TV, sponsorship and merchandise for the highly anticipated match. The codes will be paid $5million each and the players will earn around $50,000 each for a one-off appearance.
After NRL boss Dave Smith showed little interest in a Wallabies v Kangaroos match, Bill Pulver was able to successfully negotiate with English Rugby League figureheads, desperate to build on the momentum of the recent World Cup. One half will be played with 15 players with rugby union rules and the other half with 13 players with NRL rules. [/one_half]
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SA dominate Sevens
An emotional South African Sevens side has won the third IRB World Series event, hosting the tournament in Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium just days after news of the former President’s death broke. ‘It has been an emotional few days and I was hoping we could put a smile on everyone’s faces after a tough few days,’ said captain Kyle Brown said. The South African team defeated New Zealand 17-14 in the final, with a try from Brown after a stolen line-out three minutes from full-time enough to seal a hard-fought victory.
Meanwhile, Australia again failed to make the quarterfinals from Pool A, beating Scotland 31-19 but losing to Fiji 26-5 and France 19-12. England then defeated Australia 28-19 to win the Bowl final. [/one_half]
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English clubs confirm breakaway
Despite the dramatic decision of French Top 14 sides to return to the Heineken Cup, Premiership Rugby, the umbrella group for England’s leading clubs, have confirmed their separation from any European Rugby Club (ERC) tournaments, asserting that they are still ‘pursuing other options.’ The statement cited the remaining decision-making power held by the Unions, despite a majority of commercial value being created by independent clubs. English clubs also remain sceptical about the implementation of ‘meritocratic competition formats and equitable financial distributions.’
The four supportive Welsh regions could take their own governing body to court for the right to play in the new breakaway English competition. The WRU is firmly behind the Heineken Cup, but the regions have criticised their relatively small funding increase, emphasising that WRU orders amount to a restraint of trade. [/one_half]
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Warburton gives ultimatum
Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton has given the WRU until Wednesday to fund a deal to keep him in the country. Warburton is reportedly ‘reluctantly resigned to quitting Cardiff’ and has been linked with Clermont and Toulon in the Top 14 as well as the Northampton Saints.
The open-side flanker has said that he is prepared to take a salary ‘well below that on offer’ abroad to stay in Wales, but the currently proposed contract would need topping up by the WRU. But the WRU, willing to give the regions £1m to keep their stars, has been told they have to sign a new participation agreement which secures the release of players to the national team. And in a catch 22 situation, the money will only be released if Welsh stars such as Warburton and Halfpenny all sign for their regions for next season. [/one_half]
